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LI Cops Holiday DWI Crackdown Starts Wednesday

Police across Long Island will be cracking down on drunken drivers and adding patrols around shopping centers through New Years starting Thanksgiving Eve, one of the biggest bar nights of the year.

Nassau, Suffolk and New York State police are launching Wednesday the month-long holiday enforcement efforts that include sobriety checkpoints and unmarked units looking for distracted drivers in addition to regular patrols.

“Police patrols will demonstrate zero tolerance for individuals who are driving while under the influence of drugs and alcohol,” Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano said. “Think before you drink this holiday and arrive alive….don’t drink and drive!”

He urged drivers to buckle up, stay off their phones while behind the wheel and if they drink, find a designated driver, take a cab or mass transit or spend the night where the party is being held.

A Suffolk police spokeswoman said officers will be adding patrols on foot, bicycle and vehicles in downtowns and malls for crowd control as well as ramping up enforcement of driving while intoxicated laws.

State Troopers will also be conducting DWI checkpoints in concert with their “Operation Hang Up” initiative in which undercover police vehicles will be looking for drivers texting or talking on their cell phones.

Timothy Bolger is the Managing Editor for the Long Island Press who’s been working to uncover unreported stories since shortly after it launched in 2003. When he’s not editing, getting hassled by The Man or fielding cold calls to the newsroom, he covers crime, general interest and political news in addition to reporting longer, sometimes investigative features. He won’t be happy until everyone is as pissed off as he is about how screwed up Lawn Guyland is.